Australia’s school chaplains are to receive mandatory training to help them identify and combat cyberbullying among students who seek their support.
Minister for Education, Dan Tehan said the free online training would improve the support the chaplains were already providing to students in 3,000 schools.
“Our children have access to the internet 24-7 through smart phones, tablets and laptops and parents are rightly concerned about cyberbullying, with one in five Australian school children a victim,” Mr Tehan said.
He said that with mental health now a priority, the cyberbullying training for school chaplains would help them better support students and address the bullying prioblem.
“Parents can rest assured that chaplains, as well as teachers and school leaders, have the best tools to deal with cyberbullying,” Mr Tehan said.
Minister for Communications, Cyber Safety and the Arts, Paul Fletcher said the training would be delivered through the Office of the eSafety Commissioner.
“The release of the training follows extensive work with the eSafety Commissioner and State and Territory Education Departments to ensure that chaplains receive a quality training package,” Mr Fletcher said.
Further information on the cyberbullying training for school chaplains can be accessed at this PS News link.
